There were two brothers living together in a house, one of whom did all
the work, while the other did nothing but idle, and eat and drink what
was ready at hand. And God gave them prosperity in everything--in
cattle, in horses, in sheep, in swine, in bees, and in everything else.
The one that worked one day began to think to himself: 'Why should I
work for that lazybones as well? It is better that we should separate,
and that I should work for myself, and he do as he likes.' So one day
he said to his brother: 'Brother, it isn't right. I do all the work,
and you don't help in anything, but merely eat and drink what's ready.
I have made up my mind that we separate.' The other began to dissuade
him: 'Don't, brother; it is good for us to be tenants in common; you
have everything in your hands, both your own and mine, and I am content
whatever you do.' But the first abode by his determination, so the
second gave way, and said to him: 'If it is so, take your own course;
make the division yourself, as you know how.' Then he divided
everything in order, and took everything that was his before him. The
do-nothing engaged a herdsman for his cattle, a horsekeeper for his
horses, a shepherd for his sheep, a goatherd for his goats, a swineherd
for his swine, a beeman for his bees, and said to them: 'I leave all my
property in your hands and God's,' and began to live at home as before.
The first took pains about his property himself as before, watched and
overlooked, but saw no prosperity, but all loss. From day to day
everything went worse, till he became so poverty-stricken, that he
hadn't shoes to his feet, but went barefoot. Then said he to himself:
'I will go to my brother, and see how it is with him.' He did so, and
as he went came to a flock of sheep in a meadow, and with the sheep
there was no shepherd, but a very beautiful damsel was sitting there
spinning golden thread. He addressed her: 'God help you!' and inquired
whose the sheep were. She replied: 'The sheep belong to the person to
whom I belong.' He asked her further: 'To whom do you belong?' She
answered: 'I am your brother's luck.' He was put out, and said to her:
'And where is my luck?' The damsel answered him: 'Your luck is far from
you.' 'But can I find it?' inquired he, and she replied: 'You can; go,
seek for it.' When he heard this, and saw that his brother's sheep were
good--so good, that they could not be better, he didn't care about
going further to see other cattle, but went off straight to his
brother. When his brother saw him, he had compassion on him, and began
to weep: 'Where have you been so long a time?' Then, seeing him
barehead and barefoot, he gave him at once a pair of boots and some
money. Afterwards, when they had enjoyed each other's company for some
days, the visitor rose up to go to his own house. When he got home, he
took a wallet on his back, some bread in it, and a staff in his hand,
and went into the world to look for his luck. As he travelled, he came
to a large wood, and as he went through it, he saw a gray-haired old
maid asleep under a bush, and reached out his staff to give her a push.
She barely raised herself up, and, hardly opening her eyes for the
rheum, addressed him: 'Thank God that I fell asleep, for, if I had been
awake, you wouldn't have obtained even that pair of boots.' Then he
said to her: 'Who are you, that I shouldn't even have obtained this
pair of boots?' She replied: 'I am your luck.' When he heard this, he
began to beat his breast: 'If you are my luck, God slay you! Who gave
you to me?' She quickly rejoined: 'Fate gave me to you.' He then
inquired: 'And where is this Fate?' She answered: 'Go and look for
him.' And that instant she disappeared. Then the man went on to look
for Fate. As he journeyed, he came to a village, and saw in the village
a large farmhouse, and in it a large fire, and said to himself: 'Here
there is surely some merry-making or festival,' and went in. When he
went in, on the fire was a large caldron, in which supper was cooking,
and in front of the fire sat the master of the house. The traveller, on
going into the house, addressed the master: 'Good-evening!' The master
replied: 'God give you prosperity!' and bade him sit down with him, and
then began to ask him whence he came, and whither he was going. He
related to him everything: how he had been a master, how he had become
impoverished, and how he was now going to Fate to ask him why he was so
poor. Then he inquired of the master of the house why he was preparing
so large a quantity of food, and the master said to him: 'Well, my
brother, I am master here, and have enough of everything, but I cannot
anyhow satisfy my people; it is quite as if a dragon were in their
stomachs. You'll see, when we begin to sup, what they will do.' When
they sat down to sup, everybody snatched and grabbed from everybody
else, and that large caldron of food was empty in no time. After
supper, a maidservant came in, put all the bones in a heap, and threw
them behind the stove; and he began to wonder why the young woman threw
the bones behind the stove, till all at once out came two old
poverty-stricken spectres, as dry as ghosts, and began to suck the
bones. Then he asked the master of the house: 'What's this, brother,
behind the stove?' He replied: 'Those, brother, are my father and
mother; just as if they were fettered to this world, they will not
quit it.' The next day, at his departure, the master of the house said
to him: 'Brother, remember me, too, if anywhere you find Fate, and ask
him what manner of misfortune it is that I cannot satisfy my people,
and why my father and mother do not die.' He promised to ask him the
question, took leave of him, and went on to look for Fate. As on he
went, he came, after a long time, to another village, and begged at a
certain house that they would take him in for a night's lodging. They
did so, and asked him whither he was going; and he told them all in
order, what it was, and how it was. Then they began to say to him: 'In
God's name, brother, when you get there, ask him with regard to us too,
why our cattle are not productive, but the contrary.' He promised them
to ask Fate the question, and the next day went on. As he went, he came
to a stream of water, and began to shout: 'Water! water! carry me
across.' The water asked him: 'Whither are you going?' He told it
whither he was going. Then the water carried him across, and said to
him: 'I pray you, brother, ask Fate why I have no offspring.' He
promised the stream to ask the question, and then went on. He went on
for a long time, and at last came to a wood, where he found a hermit,
whom he asked whether he could tell him anything about Fate. The hermit
answered: 'Go over the hill yonder, and you will come right in front of
his abode; but when you come into Fate's presence, do not say a word,
but do exactly what he does, until he questions you himself.' The man
thanked the hermit, and went over the hill. When he came to Fate's
abode, there was something for him to see. It was just as if it were an
emperor's palace; there were men-servants and maid-servants there;
everything was in good order, and Fate himself was sitting at a golden
dinner-table at supper. When the man saw this, he, too, sat down to
table, and began to sup. After supper, Fate lay down to sleep, and he
lay down too. About midnight a terrible noise arose, and out of the
noise a voice was heard: 'Fate! Fate! so many souls have been born
to-day; assign them what you will.' Then Fate arose, and opened a chest
with money in it, and began to throw nothing but ducats behind him,
saying: 'As to me to-day, so to them for life!' When on the morrow day
dawned, that large palace was no more, but instead of it a
moderate-sized house; but in it again there was enough of everything.
At the approach of evening Fate sat down to supper; and he, too, sat
down with him, but neither spoke a single word. After supper they
lay down to sleep. About midnight a terrible noise began, and out of
the noise was heard a voice: 'Fate! Fate! so many souls have been
born to-day; assign them what you will.' Then Fate arose, and opened
the money-chest; but there were not ducats in it, but silver coins,
with an occasional ducat. Fate began to scatter the coins behind
him, saying: 'As to me to-day, so to them for life.' When, on the
morrow, day dawned, that house was no more, but instead of it there
stood a smaller one. Thus did Fate every night, and his house became
smaller every morning, till, finally, nothing remained of it but a
little cottage. Fate took a mattock, and began to dig; the man, too,
took a mattock and began to dig, and thus they dug all day. When it
was eventide, Fate took a piece of bread, broke off half of it, and
gave it to him. Thus they supped, and, after supper, lay down to
sleep. About midnight, again, a terrible noise began, and out of the
noise was heard a voice: 'Fate! Fate! so many souls have been born
to-day; assign them what you will.' Then Fate arose, opened the
chest, and began to scatter behind him nothing but bits of rag, and
here and there a day-labourer's wage-penny,[16] shouting: 'As to me
to-day, so to them for life.' When he arose on the morrow, the
cottage was transformed into a large palace, like that which had
been there the first day. Then Fate asked him: 'Why have you come?'
He detailed to him all his distress, and said that he had come to
ask him why he gave him evil luck. Fate then said to him: 'You saw
how the first night I scattered ducats, and what took place
afterwards. As it was to me the night when anyone was born, so will
it be to him for life. You were born on an unlucky night, you will
be poor for life; but your brother was born on a lucky night, and he
will be lucky for life. But, as you have been so resolute, and have
taken so much trouble, I will tell you how you may help yourself.
Your brother has a daughter, Militza, who is lucky, just as her
father is; adopt her, and, whatever you acquire, say that it is all
hers.' Then he thanked Fate, and said to him again: 'In such a
village there is a wealthy peasant, who has enough of everything;
but he is unlucky in this, that his people can never be satisfied:
they eat up a caldron full of food at a single meal, and even that
is too little for them. And this peasant's father and mother are, as
it were, fettered to this world; they are old and discoloured, and
dried up like ghosts, but cannot die. He begged me, Fate, when I
lodged with him for the night, to ask you why that was the case.'
Then Fate replied: 'All that is because he does not honour his
father and mother, throwing their food behind the stove; but, if he
puts them in the best place at table, and if he gives them the first
cup of brandy, and the first cup of wine, his servants would not eat
half so much, and his parents' souls would be set at liberty.' After
this he again questioned Fate: 'In such a village, when I spent the
night in a house, the householder complained to me that his cattle
were not productive, but the contrary, and he begged me to ask you
why this was the case.' Fate replied: 'That is because on the
festival of his name-day he slaughters the worst animals; but if he
slaughtered the best he has, his cattle would all become
productive.' Then he asked him the question about the stream of
water: 'Why should it be that that stream of water has no
offspring?' Fate replied: 'Because it has never drowned a human
being; but don't have any nonsense; don't tell it till it carries
you across, for if you tell it, it will immediately drown you.' Then
he thanked Fate, and went home. When he came to the water, the water
asked him: 'What is the news from Fate?' He replied: 'Carry me over,
and then I will tell you.' When the water had carried him over, he
ran on a little, and, when he had got a little way off, turned and
shouted to the water: 'Water! Water! you have never drowned a human
being, therefore you have no offspring.' When the water heard that,
it overflowed its banks, and after him; but he ran, and barely
escaped. When he came to the man whose cattle were unproductive, he
was impatiently waiting for him. 'What news, brother, in God's name?
Have you asked Fate the question?' He replied: 'I have; and Fate
says when you celebrate the festival of your name-day, you slaughter
the worst animals; but if you slaughter the best you have, all your
cattle will be productive.' When he heard this, he said to him:
'Stay, brother, with us; it isn't three days to my name-day, and, if
it is really true, I will give you an apple.'[17] He stayed till the
name-day. When the name-day arrived, the householder slaughtered his
best ox, and from that time forth his cattle became productive.
After this, the householder presented him with five head of cattle.
He thanked him, and proceeded on his way. When he came to the
village of the householder who had the insatiable servants, the
householder was impatiently expecting him. 'How is it, brother, in
God's name? What says Fate?' He replied: 'Fate says you do not
honour your father and mother, but throw their food behind the stove
for them to eat; if you put them in the best place at table, and
give them the first cup of brandy, and the first cup of wine, your
people will not eat half as much, and your father and mother will be
content.' When the householder heard this, he told his wife, and she
immediately washed and combed her father and mother in law, and put
nice shoes on their feet; and, when evening came, the householder
put them in the best place at table, and gave them the first cup of
brandy and the first cup of wine. From that time forth the household
could not eat half what they did before, and on the morrow both the
father and the mother departed this life. Then the householder gave
him two oxen; he thanked him, and went home. When he came to his
place of abode, his acquaintances began to congratulate him, and ask
him: 'Whose are these cattle?' He replied to everybody: 'Brother,
they are my niece Militza's.' When he got home he immediately went
off to his brother, and began to beg and pray him: 'Give me,
brother, your daughter Militza to be my daughter. You see that I
have no one.' His brother replied: 'It is good, brother; Militza is
yours.' He took Militza, and conducted her home, and afterwards
acquired much, but said, with regard to everything, that it was
Militza's. Once he went out into the field to go round some rye; the
rye was beautiful; it could not be better. Thereupon a traveller
happened to come up, and asked him: 'Whose is this rye?' He forgot
himself, and said: 'Mine.' The moment he said that, the rye caught
fire and began to burn. When he saw this, he ran after the man:
'Stop, brother! it is not mine; it belongs to Militza, my niece.'
Then the fire in the rye went out, and he remained lucky with
Militza.
[16] A 'marjush,' a small coin with the image of the Virgin Mary
on it.
[17] _I.e._, a good present.
_SERBIAN STORIES FROM BOSNIA._
The Bosnian stories are not written in the Cyrillic, but in the
Latin character. This indicates that the Christian inhabitants of
Bosnia belong to the Latin rather than to the Greek Church. The
Serbians of the Kingdom of Serbia would, no doubt, gladly absorb
Bosnia, but it is very doubtful whether the Bosnians would be
equally glad to be absorbed by them. In Bosnia the landed
proprietors are extensively Mahometans, and neither they nor the
Latin Christians would be very willing to place themselves under the
domination of the Orthodox Greek Church, without much stronger
guarantees than the Serbians of the kingdom, as at present
constituted, are likely to be able or willing to give them.